HEALTHY VEGAN ‘NUTELLA’

I’ve always loved nutella, but unfortunately the way it’s processed nowadays makes it toxic which means no more nutella covered pancakes for me :-( That’s why I was so happy when I discovered this recipe, it’s like a dream come true! Not only is it dairy and refined sugar free, it contains good fats, antioxidants, prebiotics and sheer pleasure with every mouth full (yes sometimes I eat it out of the jar). It seems like a lot of effort, but it’s well worth it, I’d even say it’s better than the real thing! Combine this awesome stuff with some Blend11 and some BallBags and voila! You just created a snack that not even the fussiest child (or big kid) can deny!

Method

The Nutella

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and spread the hazelnuts on a tray in a single layer and bake until slightly browned.
2. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Then rub the nuts between your hands and the peels should come off easily for most of them. This seems like a laborious procedure, however doing this will lead to a creamier, smoother texture and the peels can be quite bitter.
3. Separate the nuts from skins and blend the nuts in a high-speed blender or powerful food processor (mine is 2000w) until entirely creamy and smooth. This can take anywhere from 2 minutes to 10 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Time to get started on the homemade chocolate! Melt the cacao butter over a double boiler then remove from the heat and whisk in the cacao powder and maple syrup.
5. Then pour this into the processor with the hazelnut butter, vanilla and salt (this really brings out the nuttiness and sweetness). Blend until combined and voila it’s done!

Note: this firms up quite a bit in the fridge so only refrigerate what you don’t want to eat immediately and make sure to hide it well because it will be gone before you know it!

The Bars

1. Mix the BallBags with coconut oil, hazelnut butter, salt and vanilla and press into a lined tray until flat.
2. Melt the nutella and chocolate and mix in the Blend11 and chopped hazelnuts. The spread this mixture across the top of the base and press a bit more of the Blend11 on top to make it look colourful! Place in the fridge until firm and cut into thin bars.
3. Store in the fridge.